I killed my mom
By all accounts, Terry Payton is a quiet, shy 16-year-old with a brilliant mind and a penchant for Pokémon. Family, friends and neighbors in the Edgar County community of Paris say Terry is meek, eager to help and never says an ill word against anyone. So it was a shock to them when Terry was…
For edible Americana, look for Roadfood
By the time you read this, I’ll be back in Brooklyn. I just can’t stay away from my new grandson! As is often the case, I’m driving. Occasionally I fly, but more often than not, I take the car. Sometimes it’s because I’m taking stuff out to my son in Boston or daughter in New…
All in the family
For about two months this summer, the Springfield Park District’s main receptionist position was held by the girlfriend, now fiancée, of Mike Stratton, the executive director of the $11 million local government. Michelle Merz Greer, Stratton’s fiancée as of earlier this month, submitted to the district an application for a receptionist position dated April 13.…
Marching toward the new economy
I just read Gar Alperovitz’s article, “The New-Economy Movement,” which explained how the American Sustainable Business Council and the New Economy Network are demonstrating that companies can earn solid profits without exploiting workers or destroying the planet. Companies like Gore-Tex, Seventh Generation, and King Arthur Flour are treating their workers well and proving that American…
Gospel Fest, Springfield-style
After nearly a decade of consistent performance, the Springfield Gospel Fest is a standard on the local music summer festival scene. The all-day event held at Comer Cox Park Saturday, July 23, features nearly 20 local and regional music groups, numerous vendors, participation by city services and hosts the Back to School Bash. The event,…
Brooke Thomas and the Blue Suns
Only a few years ago Brooke Thomas sang plenty, but without performing in a traveling band. Now in 2011, after fronting the Blue Suns for about a year, she is releasing a CD, Live from the Capital City, this weekend, won the local 2010 International Blues Challenge solo/duo contest and performs regularly at venues all…
The flushing factor
Poor water quality plagues two Springfield streams, and part of the problem is the Springfield Metro Sanitary District, according to a recent study measuring fecal coliform bacteria, present in both human and animal waste, in Spring and Sugar creeks. The district occasionally sends untreated wastewater into the two streams at eight different points. As a…
Home-grown tomato time!
The most exciting garden event of the summer is picking the first red, juicy ripe tomatoes. This passion is shared with many gardeners as tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables grown in the home garden. I commonly get asked, “What is the best tomato to grow?” The answer will be different for everyone.…
St. Patrick Catholic School welcomes new principal
A young student’s eyes shift across the page, and a hint of excitement starts to appear on his face as he begins to realize he has the ability to read. That small, successful moment is one of the many motivations for Kim Marsaglia, the new principal at St. Patrick Catholic School, who decided to return…
How Stand for Children snuck into the Statehouse
Stand for Children’s national director Jonah Edelman spoke a little too freely at an Aspen Institute event this month. Edelman openly bragged about how his group had outfoxed the teachers unions and the Illinois media, and had taken advantage of an opening with House Speaker Michael Madigan to pass his sweeping education reform proposal,…
Who killed the bluebird of happiness?
Economists and politicians keep their fingers on the pulse of the Dow Jones Average, following every tick of this narrow measure of Wall Street wealth. But the truer indicator of America’s economic health is in the Doug Jones Average – how are workaday folks like Doug and Doreen doing? After all, the experts tell us…
It’s not the heat, it’s the corn
Here it is July again, and the General Assembly still hasn’t done anything about summer. Summers in the Midwest have never been pleasant, unless you own stock in a water park, but lately they have gotten worse – not just more unpleasant but more unpleasant in ominous ways. Windstorms have become so common that people…
Bosses not horrible, but far from satisfactory
Seth Gordon’s Horrible Bosses appeals to a common sentiment many of us has had once or twice as the film deals with three working stiffs who simply want to clock in, do their job, clock out and kick back at home. Unfortunately, they each have to contend with supervisors who are, on a good day,…
Zookeeper is simplistic entertainment
I equate Kevin James’ movies with the old Abbott and Costello features I used to watch on TV when I was a kid. Even at a young age, I knew they weren’t great movies but they made me laugh now and again and at the time, that was enough. That’s how I approached James’ latest,…
Opposites attract
The classic Neil Simon romantic comedy finds a pair of newly married lovers, who embody Oscar and Felix-like traits, trying to live with each other’s idiosyncrasies. Six performances are slated at the Hoogland Center for the Arts for this Gordon Productions play sponsored by Staab Funeral Home and 970AM WMAY. Jenn Wellhausen and Matthew T.…
Big and beautiful
Set in the 1960s, the funny and upbeat musical Hairspray is the next Muni production in the outdoor amphitheater. With big hair, a big body and a large personality, teen Tracy Turnblad lands a spot as a dancer on her favorite television show by the graces of great dancing. She rises to stardom, tackles racially…
lakepoem # 8
garrett, two, got a fish hookthrough his finger when he grabbedhis brother’s line had to go to thee.r. I was seven when a kid whippedhis line back and snagged me rightbetween the nostrils I blubbered backto the cottage carrying the fishpolethe doctor had to cut it out I don’t knowwhat lured garrett I was caught…
Next to godliness
Peter Sellars, renowned opera, theater and film director whose opera Hercules opened in Chicago to rave reviews, speaks to the Dominican Institute for the Arts, a group of artists from the United States, England, Argentina and South Africa, whose annual meeting is in Springfield this year. The DIA invites you to join them for two…
Dirt bombs
Dirt bombs come from the Bantam Bread Company in Bantam, Conn. The “dirt” is the cinnamon sugar in which they’re rolled after baking. In 500 Things To Eat Before It’s Too Late, the Sterns offer this description: “In the world of muffins it is the bomb, as in the best, so much better than a…
PEACE CAMP CANCELLED
Peace Camp is looking for a new director. After 16 straight years of teaching children about constructive ways to deal with conflict, this summer’s week-long Peace Camp program has been cancelled after volunteers were unable to find a director. Originally run by the Heartland Peace Center until that organization dissolved, Peace Camp survived in recent…
Letters to the Editor 07/21/11
COMPULSIVE GAMBLERSThe person sitting next to you in church, the man in line at the grocery store, or one of your co-workers; any one of these could be involved with a gambling problem [see “Gambling on the fairgrounds,” by Rachel Wells, July 14]. Imagine your grandmother committing a crime to support her gambling addiction. I…
TRAIL TIME
After more than a year of work and anticipation, the first leg of the Sangamon Valley Trail is almost ready to open. The 5.5-mile section connects Springfield’s Centennial Park with Stuart Park at a cost of $3.7 million in federal, state and county funds. The full 38-mile trail will eventually run from Girard north to…
